I love these little Cranberry Almond Energy Bites… full of good nutrition in every bite. They are so easy to whip up and store in your fridge for a quick afternoon snack or post meal treat. Hooray for that! 🙂
For this recipe, I toasted the oats and almond slices in the oven to infuse a little extra flavor. If you want to save time, skip that part and just add the oats and almonds without toasting them. Almonds are limited to 10 nuts per serving on the low FODMAP elimination diet so I was sure to keep the total amount in the recipe in check. Just enough to add the delicious almond flavor into every mouthful. I used both sliced almonds and a little almond extract in this recipe which really infused a wonderful almond flavor. YUMMO!
Pure maple syrup adds a little hint of sweetness.
The oats and chia seeds are a nice dose of fiber keeping you (and me) from getting ‘hangry’! If you are like me, getting over-hungry is not a pretty scene! I always bring a snack with me. Always. Do you?
I am off to Vienna next week for a speaking gig. How cool is that? I am so honored and thrilled to be going to an amazing event to speak about food intolerances, my favorite topic! Follow me on Instagram if you want to travel with me! I definitely will be posting pics! I will be sure to bring plenty of snacks for the long flight, including these tasty and filling energy bites. When traveling by plane, I drink about 8 ounces of water per hour. The air is quite dry on a plane and can be very dehydrating. Because of the air pressure differences, gas expands on the plane too. So for those with digestive issues, eating a lower fiber meal prior to flying can be a good idea to reduce gas production in your intestine during long flights. Ouch! When I travel, I try to incorporate a mix of exercise and plenty of water daily. I typically bring oatmeal from home and whip up a bowl for a mid day snack or for a light breakfast. I also request a mini-fridge for my room (if there isn’t one already), and buy some yogurt, fresh fruit and plenty of water when I arrive at my destination.
Here’s the easy recipe. Enjoy!
Ingredients
- Makes 18 balls Serving size: 1-2 balls
- 1 1/3 cup rolled oats
- 1/4 cup sliced almonds
- 1/2 cup peanut butter
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
- Spread oats and almonds evenly on cookie sheet, place in oven for 5-7 minutes to toast the oats and nuts. Stir mid-way through cooking time.
- Place oats and nuts in medium size mixing bowl.
- Add in peanut butter, maple syrup, cranberries, chia seeds and almond extract, mixing to blend.
- Cover small tray with parchment paper.
- Per tablespoon, roll mixture into 16-18 balls, placing each on parchment lined tray.
- Refrigerate the balls until set. Store in air-tight container in refrigerator up to a week.
KIRSTEN
These sound VERY yummy, but I am not a fan of Chia seeds, can they be left out or replaced?
katescarlata
Of course, just leave them out. You could add 1 tablespoon of sunflower seeds instead–or just remove the seed component altogether.
Sherrie
These energy balls are sitting in the refrigerator right now. I found they were difficult to roll into a ball so I used a tablespoon cookie scoop and it worked perfectly. I didn’t get 18 balls out of the mixture but that might have something to do with the “dough” I ate while measuring them out. They tasted wonderful from the bowl and I’m anxious to taste them once they’ve set. This will be another one of your delicious recipes to add to my collection. Thanks!
katescarlata
I agree Sherrie they are a bit difficult to roll into balls–using a scoop is a great idea. It depends on the size ball you make–you could get more or less…size matters! 🙂
Becky
These look great!
Have a great time in Vienna, Kate! I think you will find it easy to eat there and keep your gut feeling good. I was there over Thanksgiving and was pleasantly surprised to find lactose free milk in most of the cafés and yogurt everywhere breakfast is served. I was even able to eat the local brown bread and many of the cakes and pastries due to the different quality of flour and less sweetener used there. Feel good and enjoy this gorgeous city!
katescarlata
Thanks for the tips, Becky! I am really looking forward to Vienna! And glad to hear you had good luck w/ the local bread and pastries! 🙂 Thanks for stopping by my blog!!
susan myers
Hi Kate… what can i substitute almond extract with? As the difficulty rolling the balls, maybe wetting your hands while doing it may help. I’m sure to make these. Btw, I’m a fan of your Chicken Tumeric Soup and so are my kids. Thank you .
katescarlata
Susan, If you don’t care to use any extract, you may leave it out.
Kate
Alissa Cobb
These are delicious, simple, and pack well. I too had trouble with the balls, so I made “bars” in a shallow pan, cutting them into servings. Thanks for the inspiration, Kate!
Charlotte
I’m new to the low FODMAPS diet and have found there to be inconsistencies. I thought dried fruits are a ‘no no’. Can you clarify why the dried cranberries are ok? I have found that limiting myself so much is making me crave things I shouldn’t eat at all, so the more I can eat the better!
katescarlata
When it comes to the low FODMAP diet–portion size matters! The Monash U. low FODMAP app may be very helpful for you to purchase to help with foods such as dried fruits that can be enjoyed in small portions while on the low FODMAP diet. The low FODMAP portion for dried cranberries is 1 TB–and this adds such a perfect flavor to these energy bites.